The pandemic is even changing the way diplomatic relations are conducted, with the advent of e-diplomacy

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictive measures imposed by the authorities in this context have been felt not only in the economic, social, education, health and daily life of people, but also in the field of diplomacy. 

This is one of the conclusions drawn from a dialogue with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the Swiss Confederation, H.E. Vlad Vasiliu, during the fourth edition of the series of online events organized under the title "  winsedswiss inspires" and run by the Swiss educational group winsedswiss, which brings to market programmes developed in partnership with the École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Business School Lausanne, University of Central Florida and others.

The virtual meeting on "Hospitality and Diplomacy", held on winsedswiss online communication channels, had as special guests the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation in Romania, H.E. Arthur Mattli, and his counterpart in Bern, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, H.E. Vlad Vasiliu. 

Also participating in the online dialogue were David Vannier, External Relations Officer at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), former Head of Protocol at the IMF, and Claude Béglé, Executive Director and CEO of SymbioSwiss, Member of the Swiss Parliament, Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations, hosted by Professor Ray F. Iunius, CEO winsedswiss education group.

Issues related to the bridging elements between the culture of hospitality and diplomatic relations, the reaction of the authorities to the new coronavirus and the role of diplomats in this context were discussed.

"One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is that we are learning e-diplomacy and no longer focus as much on the traditional aspects of diplomatic relations, with less on traditional hospitality, and the pandemic has led to a change in the attitude and daily work of diplomats. Typical working conferences have been replaced by video conferences or bilateral discussions via video calls. This will certainly influence the attitudes of diplomats in the coming months or even years. The changes in society's behaviour will most likely be reflected in the hospitality sector and its offerings," said Romanian Ambassador Vlad Vasiliu.

Diplomatic contacts have therefore become much more direct and less protocolary, with diplomatic protocol being replaced by "virtual protocol", but this has in no way reduced the importance of the culture of hospitality that must govern all international and interpersonal relations.

For his part, the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation in Romania spoke about the digitization of diplomacy, a process that his country started a few years ago through massive investments in IT, the pandemic meaning, from this point of view, an acceleration of the trend of digitization of the civil service.

"Out of the pandemic, we have winners and losers, and healthcare and IT are two of the winners. We have been forced to take steps forward towards the digitisation process, we have moved five to eight years in this direction, including in the digitisation of diplomacy. Swiss resilience is a result of massive investments in IT infrastructure. For example, our embassy in Romania has been closed since the first week of March, when we were already technically ready for our work at home. The ability to anticipate and plan helps us to respond successfully to challenges," said H.E. Arthur Mattli.

In other news, the Swiss diplomat said that the Swiss government intends to reopen Switzerland's borders as of 15 June 2020 for all EU citizens, but also for citizens of other European Economic Area countries on a reciprocal basis.

Claude Béglé, with extensive diplomatic experience in over a hundred countries, stressed the importance of "social rapprochement" in diplomatic relations, while David Vannier highlighted the contribution of the environment created by the culture of hospitality in international negotiations. The two stressed the significance of knowing each country's traditions of protocol in the success of any negotiations.

winsedswiss education group (WEG) is a multi-disciplinary holding that aims to create education programmes throughout a person's life, from kindergarten to retirement. Its commitment is to provide quality services in all areas where it works directly with customers, i.e. where the customer experience is at least as important as the product received. The group has been committed since the beginning of its entry into the market in April this year to providing innovative educational programmes, stimulating creativity and working with the business community to find solutions that support the creation of memorable customer experiences.

Thus, the programme "  winsedswiss inspires" was a series of live conversations with national and international experts, moderated by Professor Ray F. Iunius and education expert Radu Szekely (Deputy General Manager/Director of WEG Educational Programmes), on the topic of hospitality culture with applicability to healthcare, retail and any other service sector. 

Among the invitations to the live events "  winsedswiss inspires" include Olimpia Meșa (writer and education expert) and Fabrice Tessier (Vice President for Relations and Partnerships with Schools at Accor), Radu L. Gorduza (CEO Medicover Romania) and Professor Roger Darioli (President of Institut Suisse Vitamin, Lausanne), as well as Professor Abraham Pizam (Founding Dean of Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida).